fiscal cliff, very important. public safety and gun violence, very important. getting people back to work in america, very important. we can actually do more than one thing at a time. mayors across the country do that every day. >> well said. thank you very much, mayor michael nutter. happy new year to you, sir, and eugene robinson my colleague here. >>> that, of course, was chris matthews with philadelphia mayor michael nutter and eugene robinson. we're going to take a break now and then we'll be hearing from president obama on the fiscal cliff talks. this is "hardball," the place for politics. [ laughter ] smoke? nah, i'm good. ♪ [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette, you celebrate a little win. nicoderm cq, the patch with time release smart control technology that acts fast and helps control cravings all day long. ♪ quit one day at a time with nicoderm cq. omnipotent of opportunity. you know how to mix business... with business. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can eve